Greg Gutmanis found his way onto the Forty under 40 list via a previous winner. Gutmanis joined boutique investment banking firm Capital West Partners in Vancouver in early 2006. He then linked up with Sean Morrison, 2007 Forty under 40 winner, who is now CEO of Diversified Royalty Corp. (TSE:DIV). Gutmanis said he recognized the skill and talent that Morrison possessed and knew what to do.

“I decided to work with him and learn as much as possible,” he said. “Sean and I have now been working together for over 11 years through three different businesses, which includes Capital West Partners, Maxam [Capital Corp.] and Diversified Royalty Corp.”

Gutmanis said teaming up with someone he clicked with on a professional level was one of the best career decisions he’s ever made.

“I think identifying smart individuals that I enjoy working with including mentors, peers and young associates, combined with being open-minded about the type of business I pursued from accounting to investment banking to private equity to publicly traded companies, have been key to my current path.”

Gutmanis is CEO and vice-president of acquisitions for Diversified Royalty Corp., and he holds a bachelor of commerce in accounting from the University of British Columbia (UBC). He previously worked for KPMG LLP as a manager for four years before joining Capital West Partners. He said working with people whom one genuinely likes is also high on his list when it comes to finding success in the business world.

“Work with people that you enjoy working with and respect,” he added. “Life is too short and too many hours are spent at work to do otherwise.”

He said his time at UBC learning the fundamentals, and then at KPMG – one of the Big Four auditors – was invaluable for acquiring a sound base of knowledge about the industry.

“Then, once the basic fundamentals are there, follow the people and not the company. Like many things in life, I learned this mostly with a good dose of luck and the benefit of hindsight.”